I recently read an article on McDonald’s and how its sales have dropped for the first time since 2003. This really caught my attention because I saw a documentary on HBO called “The Weight of the Nation.” The documentary is intended to deliver a forum to stress improvements in the prevention and control of obesity.

An industry that started off with a few decent hot dog and hamburger stands in southern California has increased and is now in every corner of the nation. There are so many food advertisements everywhere you look. McDonald’s spends more money on advertising and marketing than any other brand. Different fast food restaurants sell a broad range of foods that are inexpensive but unhealthy. Fast food is sold anywhere and everywhere from gas stations, universities, airports and even hospital cafeterias.

The average American spends more money on fast food than movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and released music combined. The whole experience of buying fast food has become so routine and dreary that it is now taken for granted, like taking a shower or stopping at a stop sign. People rarely consider where their food came from, how it was made and what it is doing to the community around them.

You must exercise and eat well to maintain a healthy and positive lifestyle; after all, remember, you are what you eat.

Jan Doyle

Albert Lea